Ford's electric truck Fathom will start at $28,350

Ford’s next-generation electric truck will be called Fathom, and it will start at $28,350 when it goes on sale in 2027, the company said Thursday. A “destination and delivery” fee brings that price to $29,945, keeping the Fathom just under the $30,000 target Ford has talked about since it began discussing the project more openly in 2025.

The truck represents a major bet for Ford: it is the automaker’s second all-electric pickup after the F-150 Lightning (a third, counting the limited-run Ranger EV from the late 1990s). Like many of its peers, Ford has pulled back sharply from its once-ambitious EV plans, even as it pushes the Fathom forward.

Fathom is the first vehicle built on Ford’s new “Universal EV Platform,” or UEV, which is meant to underpin multiple EVs and relies on a new assembly-line process designed to cut costs. The project is part of CEO Jim Farley’s push to catch up to category leader Tesla and to the Chinese EVs he has argued against allowing into the U.S. market — all while the truck is built in Louisville, Kentucky.

Deliveries begin in fall 2027, though Ford says it won’t formally reveal the truck until early 2027, when preorders will open. Ford has said the Fathom will run Apple Maps natively and, as of Thursday, will also support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay — though notably not Apple’s next-generation CarPlay Ultra. The truck will seat five, more interior space than a Toyota RAV4, and will include a large touchscreen, a digital car key, and bidirectional power like the Lightning and the hybrid F-150. Every Fathom will be “BlueCruise-capable,” meaning the hands-free driver-assistance hardware comes built in, though buyers will likely pay extra to activate it; Ford says eyes-off driving is expected in 2028. The starting price covers only the standard-range lithium iron phosphate battery pack, and Ford hasn’t yet said how far the truck can travel on a single charge.

“The name had to do more than sound good. It had to capture a mindset, shifting the focus from specs to a spirit of adaptability,” Ford wrote of the Fathom name.

Electric trucks have had a rough run in the U.S.: the Lightning sold a little more than 10,000 units in its best quarter, and the Cybertruck, despite a higher peak, has since fallen off. Still, getting the Fathom under $30,000 — in a market where the average new car costs $50,000 — leaves it with little direct competition beyond the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate pickup and non-truck EVs like the Chevy Bolt.

Why it matters

Ford is betting that a cheaper, purpose-built EV platform can succeed where pricier electric trucks have struggled, at a moment when U.S. automakers are otherwise retreating from ambitious EV plans.